All hail halloumi!

Taking a post-holiday break from baking, I'm here to spread the word about my newest favorite wonderfood, halloumi cheese!! You can bake it, grill it, broil it, fry it eat it on a sandwich or just on its own, this stuff is fabulousness incarnate.

Halloumi is a fairly mild tasting firm-ish cheese (sort of like firm mozzarella). I first had it on Christmas eve when Amy mixed up chunks of halloumi and Spanish chorizo sausage, heated them in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes and served - holy cow, goat and/or sheep that stuff was great! (I'm now a huge fan of Spanish chorizo, as well.) The Lebanese restaurant down the street serves grilled halloumi with tabouleh on pita bread - also quite delicious!

To grill it, just slice off pieces and brush the slices with a tiny bit of olive oil, and grill on each side until browned. It doesn't melt nearly as fast as if you tried this with mozzarella (an ooey gooey yet tasty mess, I'm sure).

And to the *5* of you out there (you know who you are) who taunted me with phone calls, IMs and SMSs around Christmas/New Years that you were, at that moment, taking a delicious ham out of the oven, here's my revenge: the grilled halloumi and gourmet bacon from the Borough market was SOOOO good! I thought of you all, and how much you all would have enjoyed the sandwich. :P (No, I'm not bitter in the least.)